The Blumhouse-produced American remake of the Danish psychological horror film Speak No Evil caused some skepticism when it was announced in early 2023, especially considering the original was only released in 2022. Hesitation and skepticism are expected when a remake of anything is announced, especially foreign films.
The horror genre in particular draws criticism for foreign remakes because the American versions tend to play it safer than their international counterparts. Or, it may butcher the messaging and themes of the original. Take Spike Lee’s remake of Oldboy for example.
Written and directed by James Watkins, most well-known for making Eden Lake, the remake of Speak No Evil is more of a reimagining than a remake, especially in the third act. Watkins keeps the base story the same while taking creative liberties.
The story still revolves around a family of three meeting another family of three on vacation and one family ends up visiting the other later on. The visiting family feels uncomfortable from the get-go and endures odd behavior from the hosting family before it becomes painfully obvious something is wrong with the hosts.
Right as the third act is about to begin, that’s when Speak No Evil differs the most from the original film. Some other changes are made to make this version its own thing, so here is a list of the changes the American version makes from the Danish original.
Warning: Major spoilers ahead for Speak No Evil (the original and the remake).
6 The Families Are American and English Instead of Danish and Dutch
The most obvious change made to the remake is where each family is from. In the original, a Danish family meets a Dutch family on vacation in Italy and is invited to visit the Dutch family in the Netherlands. Since both families are from different countries and don’t speak the same native language, most of the film is spoken in English since it is the common language between them.
For the American version, the main family is from the U.S. but has recently relocated to London for a job opportunity. They still meet the other family on vacation in Italy, but the other family is English rather than Dutch. The English family invites the American family to stay with them the same way the Dutch family invites the Danish family over in the original. The Americans come home to their London townhouse with a letter in the mail from the English.
5 Ant Exposes the Truth About His Parents to Agnes in the Remake
The original film reveals the truth about the Dutch couple differently than the remake reveals the truth about the English couple. In the original Danish film, the Danish father, Bjorn (Morten Burian), discovers a cabin on the Dutch family’s property containing hundreds of photographs of other families the Dutch met on previous vacations. Each photograph shows the Dutch couple with a different child who was in previous photos with their real parents. Bjorn is horrified by this discovery and tries to get his family off their property without telling his wife what he has found.
While both boys in each film try to get the visiting families to understand what’s wrong with him, in James Watkins’ version, Ant (Dan Hough) brings Agnes (Alix West Lefler) down to the cellar of the barn to show him the scrapbook containing photos of Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) with dozens of different children. He then mimics the act of cutting with scissors to make Agnes understand that his tongue has been cut out. Agnes then pretends to get her first menstrual cycle to get her mom alone and show her the pictures she took on her phone of the scrapbook.
4 The American Family Actually Fights Back
The most frustrating aspect of the original is that the Danish couple never truly fights back. They make stupid decision after stupid decision, and when fate comes knocking on their door, they bury their heads in the sand. Bjorn and Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch) are continuously convinced to stay or participate in things they’re uncomfortable with simply to not come across as impolite or rude. When Patrick (Fedja van Heut) and Karin (Karina Smulders) take them out to a remote location to face death, Bjorn and Louise don’t attempt to escape or even defend themselves.
Louise and Ben (Scoot McNairy) still make the same stupid decisions that Bjorn and Louise do. They let Paddy and Ciara treat them like doormats, ignore warning signs, and stay even when they have the opportunity to leave. However, unlike the Danish couple, when Louise and Ben learn what their hosts are capable of, they make a plan to escape. When that plan doesn’t go accordingly, they switch tactics to protect their daughter. They don’t lay their heads down and accept their fate.
3 Ciara Is One of Paddy’s Victims
One of the biggest changes Watkins makes to differentiate his film from the original is the reveal that Ciara is actually Paddy’s first victim. This means Ciara’s parents were murdered, and she was kidnapped by Paddy and forced to become part of his scheme. Throughout their “relationship,” she has helped him trick dozens of families into visiting them, kidnapping their kids, and murdering them. This means she also aided Paddy in murdering each child when it was time to move on to the next family.
In the Danish version, Karin was always in on the scheme. She was a willing participant and believed in what she and her husband were doing. Patrick and Karin were actually married and in love, and she was always equally involved as Patrick was. Karin had no remorse.
2 The Final Act Is Changed Completely
The final act of the original Danish film is utterly bleak and depressing. After Bjørn discovers the truth about Patrick and Karin, he finds Abel drowned in the well. He then tries to help his family escape, but he finds his daughter and wife trapped in the car before Agnes is taken away, and her tongue cut out. Bjørn and Louise are taken out to a remote location where they are told to strip. Bjørn asks why they are doing this to them, and Patrick says it’s because they let him. Bjørn and Louise put up no fight, and are eventually stoned to death.
The third act of Watkins’ film takes an entirely different route. Louise, Ben, and Agnes are held captive along with Ant, but Louise actually has some survival instincts and frees herself and her family. A long cat-and-mouse game ensues on the property as Louise and Ben try to navigate their way out of the house while keeping the kids safe and fending off Paddy and Ciara. As they try to escape from the roof, Ciara is accidentally pushed and falls to her death. When the four of them finally get down to the ground, Paddy gets hold of Agnes and threatens them, but Agnes stabs him with the ketamine he was going to give them earlier.
With Paddy already hurt from the cleaning product Louise sprayed in his eyes, he’s down for the count. Ant takes this opportunity to let out his frustrations from the trauma he’s endured and enact revenge by brutally bashing Paddy’s face in with a brick. Louise, Ben, Agnes, and Ant escape mostly unscathed, but that little boy will have to reckon with his trauma and actions for the rest of his life.
1 Agnes Stays With Her Parents and Ant is Saved
The original ending of Speak No Evil is incredibly bleak and leaves the viewer feeling numb. Patrick and Karin drown Abel before kidnapping Agnes and cutting out her tongue, sealing her to the same fate as Abel. Bjørn and Louise’s fight or flight instincts never kick in, resulting in a particularly painful death by stoning. Due to Bjørn and Louise’s lack of confrontational skills and nonexistent survival instincts, their daughter becomes an orphan who will eventually be murdered, a boy dies, and they are killed painfully and without a shred of dignity.
While Watkins’ ending may not deliver the same emotional gut punch that director Christian Tafdrup did, it offers a new perspective on the story. Paddy and Ciara both die rather horribly, but their impact on Ant and the American family will live as long as they do. Agnes gets to stay safely with her family, but she will have trauma for the rest of her life and her parents will likely never trust a stranger again.
Ant lives unlike Abel, but he will also have immense trauma to deal with, in addition to reckoning with his act of revenge. Allowing Louise, Ben, Agnes, and Ant to live is a major change from the original and certainly less impactful, but it serves an emotional purpose for the story this version was trying to tell.
Speak No Evil
is now playing in theaters.
